Somme Institute Skin Care Review Day!

In an effort to avoid the world’s longest blog post (truly), I’m declaring today (unofficially of course) Somme Institute Skin Care Review Day! A day of reviews devoted to this line. In a very short time (aka- the time it mostly takes me to cut and paste but also add a few extra tidbits of information) you’ll see reviews of 8 (!!) products from their line popping up.

This line is large, though not really that much bigger than most lines. What is different is that most lines intend for you to use only a few together. Maybe a cleanser, cream and eye cream. There are a lot (lot) more steps here. You can see all of the products I was sent up above. They do work best when all used together. Intimidating much?

Read on to see what those things are and what order to use them in.

So, yes, that is a lot of product! It isn’t that bad if you break it down.

What makes Somme Institute products different is their “MDT5” technology. Basically, this is a liposome, a little molecular package, which has the ability to penetrate much deeper into the skin’s surface than anything inside would be able to do on its own. Yes, this stuff does work. Even my hubby (a biomedical engineering professor that has worked on drug delivery systems in the past) was impressed that it had found its way into skin care! Inside those little bubble Somme has packed Vitamins A, B3, B5, C and E. Since they’re penetrating deeply they’re able to really get to work on skin cells. Individual products also pack in additional anti-aging ingredients like hydroxy acids and sunscreens.

How did it work for me? Overall I did like this system. I’m always in a rush, so I do prefer to have 1 or 2 products, slap something on and go. This is more time intensive, but it seemed to be worthwhile to me. In the first week I experienced a few blemishes, but when I mentioned it to the rep from Somme Institute she said that this was actually typical as your skin is adjusting to the products (which is what I figured was the issue). After a week the blemishes were gone and I didn’t have any other problems.

I noticed that my skin was well hydrating and yes, a bit glowy while using Somme Institute. I especially loved the eye cream, I swear I put that stuff on and my eyes felt less puffy and I looked more awake almost immediately! I would recommend this line if you have the time for so many products. I’ll be keeping the system in my bathroom to use for non-testing times. I test a lot of products and I don’t keep most of them around, so I really loved these ones!

But, it’s kind of expensive. Which products would you start with? Yes, I did try out the entire line. I also started out using everything, but adjusted my routine a bit as time went on to make things work better for me. I noticed that as the weather warmed up, so many products in the am was just a bit too much hydration for my combination skin and I was getting a bit oily mid-morning. So, I was cutting back on products in the am (really, I skipped A-Bomb), which may or may not be the best option for you. In the cold weather, it was good to have A Bomb in there. Not everyone needs a neck cream. Not everyone likes to use a mask.

So, if I was going to start this routine afresh, I’d buy the entire 5 piece system and I’d buy extra Transport (you use a pad 2x a day, there are only 50 pads in there. But, the rest of the product is enough for a few months, so, extra Transport). I like to have a mask, so I’d buy the mask. I often just smear excess product down onto my neck and chest, so I don’t need a separate neck cream, but if you’re concerned about your neck I’d recommend that product as well.

If that’s too many products for you, a little birdie told me that the entire system was developed and tested initially with just Transport, Serum and A-Bomb. You could use your own (gentle) cleanser and a broad spectrum lotion/sunscreen. The 2 products were developed because they noticed that many women were using harsher cleansers and creating so much irritation that it was negating the effects of the Somme technology. And as for the sunscreen…. well, not everyone was using one and really it is the most effecting product you can buy to fight aging. So, if cost in an issue start with those 3, add in a gentle cleanser (I’d probably recommend something like Cetaphil) and a light, broad spectrum sunscreen.

2 Comments

I tested this line for another blog and found it a bit too hydrating as well (and I have dry skin), and also got a few initial start-up blemishes. I LOVED the transport pads and serum, found the cleanser too "gooey" and it left a film on my face I didn't care for. The A-bomb was rich, better as a night cream for me and I agree, the sunscreen was nice but not necessary to use that particular one.

I love this line. I've been using it consistently since the fall. I'll sneak in other products for review but I always come back to it. I actually use Transport, Serum and A-Bomb at night only though. I use the mask as needed. The eye cream gets switched off with another one. I've repurchased everything except for Boost and the Eye Cream since I like them that much.